MyCareer.com.au

Kazaa owner welcomes survey findings

Sharman Networks, owner of the Kazaa peer-to-peer software, has been quick to seize on the findings of a survey released in the US on Monday which concluded that downloading music had no effect on album sales.

In a media release issued last evening, Sharman chief executive Nicola Hemming said "We welcome sound research into the developing peer-to-peer industry and this study appears to have covered some interesting ground.

"The findings certainly support the vision we've always held for Kazaa and crystallises our vision for the future of content distribution."

The 2002 study was conducted jointly by researchers from Harvard Business School and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and used data from file-sharing services with 1.75 million downloads being studied over 17 weeks in autumn 2002.

"Consider the possibilities if the record industry actually cooperated with companies like us instead of fighting," Ms Hemming said. "We've offered content providers the opportunity to work with peer-to-peer customers for nearly two years, yet the record industry continues its narrow-minded strategy of litigation and legislation.

"We applaud the independent labels and artists, as well as the Bollywood movie companies and computer game and software developers who have had the vision to engage with us to grow this new industry."

The recording industry, predictably, had a different view. Michael Speck, general manager of Music Industry Piracy Investigations, the enforcement arm of the Australian recording industry, said the survey should have looked at the impact of file-sharing services on legitimate online services.

While agreeing that various recording industry officials have claimed in the past that record sales are affected by dowloading music, Speck said the survey also was somewhat outdated.

"The survey's findings confim what we in the industry have always said - that online piracy is about a core of highly valuable content," Speck said.

MIPI has filed a copyright infringement case against Sharman and some other companies following raids on their premises in February. The matter is due back in court on May 14.